''Helophilus seelandicus'', commonly known as the three-lined hoverfly, is a

hoverfly Hoverflies, also called flower flies or syrphids, make up the insect family Syrphidae. As their common name suggests, they are often seen hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen, while the l ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to New Zealand. The common name corresponds to the three black lines behind the insect's head.

Taxonomy

This species was first described by

Johann Friedrich Gmelin Johann Friedrich Gmelin (8 August 1748 – 1 November 1804) was a German natural history, naturalist, chemist, botanist, entomologist, herpetologist, and malacologist. Education Johann Friedrich Gmelin was born as the eldest son of Philipp F ...

in 1790 and named ''Musca seelandica''. The taxonomy of this species was most recently discussed by

F. Christian Thompson Frederic Christian Thompson (April 24, 1944 – February 4, 2021) was an American entomologist specializing in the study of Diptera Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", an ...

in 2008.

Description

The adult fly is approximately 15 mm in length.

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand.

Life cycle

''H. seelandicus''

maggots A maggot is the larva of a fly (order Diptera); it is applied in particular to the larvae of Brachycera flies, such as houseflies, cheese flies, hoverflies, and blowflies, rather than larvae of the Nematocera, such as mosquitoes and cran ...

live in water with decaying vegetation, animals or dung.

Interaction with humans

Despite being native to New Zealand, this species is commonly reported to the Ministry of Primary Industries Pest and Disease Hotline.

References

External links

* ''Helophilus seelandicus'' discussed in

RNZ Radio New Zealand (), commonly known as RNZ or Radio NZ, is a New Zealand public service broadcaster and Crown entity. Established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995, it operates news and current affairs station, RNZ National, and a classica ...

Critter of the Week ''Critter of the Week'' is a weekly RNZ National programme about endangered and neglected native plants and animals of New Zealand. Beginning in 2015, ''Critter of the Week'' is an approximately 15-minute discussion between Nicola Toki (origi ...

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27 January 2023
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5709918 Diptera of New Zealand Eristalini Insects described in 1790 Taxa named by Johann Friedrich Gmelin